In the law enforcement field it is important to have ready access to a handgun but it is equally as important to prevent someone confronted by a law enforcement officer from gaining access to such handgun. This problem has been well known for years and attempts have been made to solve the problem, such as by providing a strap over the top of the handgun which snaps to the holster, for example. This solution simply does not provide a sufficient deterrent to the aforementioned problem.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,645,428 to Angell uses a holster which snaps open in front which is a fairly common construction and does not fully address the aforementioned problem. U.S. Pat. No. 2,349,376 to Ray shows a structure which may tend to interfere with the release of the handgun during draw. If a twisting motion is applied during an unauthorized access, the captured segment of the trigger guard could get past the apparatus used to prevent it, thereby resulting in successful acquisition of the pistol by unauthorized personnel. U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,243 to Bianchi et al uses a hesitation lock but this lock could be actuated by using the right knee, for example, thereby releasing the weapon into the left hand. U.S. Pat. No. 4,277,007 to Bianchi et al shows an apparatus which will not work with revolvers, i.e. handguns having protruding cylinders. Consequently, such a device simply is not universally adaptable to enough handguns to make it a practical device. Consequently, while the aforementioned problem has been addressed, the prior art simply does not solve the problem in an economical and straightforward way.